sadly while Lara Croft GO looks great it isn't nearly as fun as Hitman GO.
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iOS/tvOS Gaming November 2015 | Out of your pocket, into your living room
- Thread starter More_Badass
- Start date
sadly while Lara Croft GO looks great it isn't nearly as fun as Hitman GO.
I think it must be a matter of preference because I had the complete opposite reaction to Lara Croft GO. I thought the environments alone made it much more immersive than the static feel of a board game that Hitman GO had.
Maybe it's just that I like the Tomb Raider IP more than Hitman as well. I just was immediately sucked in and found it more enjoyable.
But every gamer is different.
Have been numerous Breakneck updates since I last posted about it I think. Stuff that may be relevant to people here in terms of the most recent few updates including one that just went live
- Now available free to download on Apple TV with cross device achievements, leaderboards, and profile syncing via iCloud back to iOS
- Various frame rate improvements plus graphical enhancements for 6S and 6S Plus
- 3D Touch controls supported on 6S and 6S Plus
- unlockable ship skins for customization
- rewarded daily missions
- Replaykit support for session recording
- Now available free to download on Apple TV with cross device achievements, leaderboards, and profile syncing via iCloud back to iOS
- Various frame rate improvements plus graphical enhancements for 6S and 6S Plus
- 3D Touch controls supported on 6S and 6S Plus
- unlockable ship skins for customization
- rewarded daily missions
- Replaykit support for session recording
infiniteloop
Member
Does apple tv support devs doing ads/video ads? There's some games on iOS that have ads to earn lives etc., but on Apple TV it doesn't seem to be an option.
Not sure if it's something Apple have done or a decision by the devs. Either way it's very refreshing.
Also:
Zodiac: Orcanon Odyssey is right now, for the price of $8.99, JRPG:
http://toucharcade.com/2015/11/10/kobojos-zodiac-orcanon-odyssey-is-now-available/
Not sure if it's something Apple have done or a decision by the devs. Either way it's very refreshing.
Also:
Zodiac: Orcanon Odyssey is right now, for the price of $8.99, JRPG:
http://toucharcade.com/2015/11/10/kobojos-zodiac-orcanon-odyssey-is-now-available/
Awesome! Think I'll take a dive on Zodiac.
I just moved from an Android back to an iPhone 6 and I'll spend more money to celebrate!
Those who have known me for a while may remember that I had really bad data usage issues that I spent months working with Apple to try to figure out. And finally isolated it to an App Store problem regardless of the phone model. That's how I ended up in a round about way with an iPad Mini 2 at Apple's expense.
I was due for an upgrade and couldn't afford a 6S but wanted to try iOS for a phone again. And interestingly enough I STILL had data issues with the 6 the first day. It had iOS 8 on it though. So I updated to iOS 9.1 and boom -- it finally seem to be gone!
There are no ads on Apple TV not because devs don't want it or Apple is blocking it, but simply because no network is offering a solution there and no advertisers are running campaigns there yet.
Breakneck is an example. On iOS it free and has ads and incentivized video and IAP as a monetization mix. On Apple TV the game is still free and is functionally equivalent but has no ads or video, only IAP.
We considered going paid on the Apple TV version to make up for the lost ad revenue but that would have broken the Gamecenter and iCloud links between that and the mobile version as you have to set it up as a separate app, so we chose the better user experience and went free with no ads.
Even assuming somebody got a technical solution in place for ads, Apple TV games would need to be profitable enough to warrant a critical mass of advertisers running campaigns. I'm not sure that will happen for a long time. Expect a six month to a year ad free window on the platform at least.
infiniteloop
Member
Very interesting, thanks.
I was looking at the top paid games on the App Store and it's amazing how many older games there are towards the top of those charts.
And I don't think it's price drops or "sales" driving it. Games like True Skate, Tiny Wings, Fruit Ninja and even Doodle Jump. With all the advancements in mobile gaming, it's just interesting to see.
And I don't think it's price drops or "sales" driving it. Games like True Skate, Tiny Wings, Fruit Ninja and even Doodle Jump. With all the advancements in mobile gaming, it's just interesting to see.
Saucycarpdog
Member
Many of those games are loved by children and toddlers because of the simple mechanics and graphics. You'd be surprised at how much the younger audience drives sales of those kinds of games on the store. (It's also the same reason we still have simple auto runners and one-touch jumpers still being released)
More_Badass
Member
Maybe Doodle Jump and Fruit Ninja, but True Skate?
Saucycarpdog
Member
Yeah, maybe "most of those games" was a better term. True skate still dominating the charts after all this time still confuses me. 😕
As well as being fun and accessible games, I think a lot of that is to do those legacy games coming out at a time (2009-2011) where they were able to go really, really big and benefit from a lot of legacy media coverage as well as strong ongoing word of mouth from their massive install bases. Those games are also easy picks for App Store editors to throw in featuring groups, so you constantly see them popping up there too.
Being at the top of the charts also helps you stay at the top of the charts because you have high visibility relative to everything else. Kind of like how there are celebrities who are famous for being famous.
Zodiac is really impressive so far. The hand drawn graphics are gorgeous and the cut scenes are beautifully animated.
The game has a casual feel to it at first but you can tell there are layers of strategy in the battle system with lots of potential.
Hard to say how it will progress story wise, but anxious to get further into it.
The game has a casual feel to it at first but you can tell there are layers of strategy in the battle system with lots of potential.
Hard to say how it will progress story wise, but anxious to get further into it.
-psygnosis-
Neo Member
To whom it may concern, Dena/Nintendo shedule peek:
https://twitter.com/mochi_wsj/status/664329381813223425
https://twitter.com/mochi_wsj/status/664329381813223425
You guys never finger boarded in school as kids?
Yes, the game is 2D and you fly around on your animal and trigger battles by flying into these orbs (no random battles).
I'd hold off on purchasing though. The game is gorgeous and seems well polished, but it's got some major bugs. I'm currently stuck at a door with a keycard where it loops over and over with a message saying I need a card. I've read that others are having a lot of crashes.
But the dev posted over on TA that a patch is on the way. Definately has a lot of potential. Surprised they released it in this state though.
Speaking of which, I was disappointed -- not surprised -- but disappointed that all of the Nintendo games will be F2P.
http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/iPad/Nintendo+news/news.asp?c=68266
infiniteloop
Member
ugh, there goes that then.
I know they'll never do it, but Tim needs to money hat Nintendo for a virtual console on Apple TV.
I know they'll never do it, but Tim needs to money hat Nintendo for a virtual console on Apple TV.
I'm not sure this is correct. What has been said is "All of DeNa's game will be F2P". Apparently Nintendo will develop the premium games and publish them. But for now, every game that is planned is F2P so if Nintendo wants to make a premium game it's not currently in development right now.
I suppose that's true and PG's article is misleading (especially the headline).
More_Badass
Member
Chair + JJ Abrams are teaming up for an Unreal Engine-powered PC/mobile game, SPYJINX
https://www.epicgames.com/spyjinx/
Saucycarpdog
Member
More_Badass
Member
Two interesting releases
Wardwell House - $2.99
Artificial Defense - Free, with a $2.99 Full unlock
Wardwell House - $2.99
A peaceful fishing trip, far in the wilderness, goes wrong when your boat springs a leak. You arrive at an island to fix your boat but start discovering scary artifacts and strange remains. As you investigate further, you approach a gloomy abandoned house in the middle of the island. Discover the grim history and terrifying mysteries that slowly reveal themselves in Wardwell House
Artificial Defense - Free, with a $2.99 Full unlock
Artificial Defense a real-time-strategy, orbital-shooter game in an artificial, virtual reality setting. You are the machine, a mighty computer-system, defending its servers against swarms of intruding creeps.
Fire off miniguns, launch hellfire missiles, drop incinerating hades-bombs and asteroids, deploy mighty railgun and acid towers and spawn your own Intrusion Counter Measures (ICMs) to re-conquer corrupted databases and firewalls. Earn RAM and upgrade your arsenal and hardware-level. Start as an analog punch-tape system and evolve to a quantum A.I. computer.
Saucycarpdog
Member
Screw it, I have today off and I'm bored so I'm taking the plunge on Wardwell.
Zodiac already got an update to fix the Prison Escape quest. The developers (again these are guys who worked on several Final Fantasy games, including VII) are using an interesting approach to bug fixes.
It sounds like they are doing the updates like many console games do. Instead of uploading a fix to the App Store, when you open the game again it does the update automatically (obviously must be connected to the Internet).
I'm not sure if I've seen this on iOS before and am not really sure if it's "legal" as far as App Store rules are concerned. But frankly, that's awesome and a much faster and better way to do updates. I always hate updates for large games due to having to have, in most cases, the equivalent amount of free space to download the update.
Quite anxious to get back into the game when I get a chance tonight. I personally haven't had any issues with crashing. Just that Prison bug.
One thing I'd like to see added is a virtual stick. The current movement is wonky sort of a drag system and that, so far, is my only other complaint.
It sounds like they are doing the updates like many console games do. Instead of uploading a fix to the App Store, when you open the game again it does the update automatically (obviously must be connected to the Internet).
I'm not sure if I've seen this on iOS before and am not really sure if it's "legal" as far as App Store rules are concerned. But frankly, that's awesome and a much faster and better way to do updates. I always hate updates for large games due to having to have, in most cases, the equivalent amount of free space to download the update.
Quite anxious to get back into the game when I get a chance tonight. I personally haven't had any issues with crashing. Just that Prison bug.
One thing I'd like to see added is a virtual stick. The current movement is wonky sort of a drag system and that, so far, is my only other complaint.
Oh it's been done before and it is allowed by Apple. A lot of F2P games relie on this (ex: Order and Chaos)
I wish all games did this then....especially large games. The current "replace the entire app" system used by the vast majority of games is antiquated and a major pain in the ass.
Obviously I don't play any of the F2P games that use it
More_Badass
Member
Would definitely like to read your impressions. I'm interested, but am curious how long it is, if it's jump scares or more focused on atmosphere
Saucycarpdog
Member
Just completed Wardwell and my verdict:
4/10
The game uses panorama to view the entire scene around the player like the cameras for VR headsets. Unfortunately spinning your phone around to view gets tedious after a while(played the whole thing standing up). This would probably play better on something like google cardboard.
The music is good and creates a good backdrop for the still image around you.
Now is there a story? Nope, just some bland words on the screen for a poor horror show that culminates into
Another thing I took off points for was incoherent images, parts of the house were inconsistent in aesthetic. One part of the house in particular looked like it was taken in a modern home even though your supposed to be in a 19th century era mansion.
I'd say save your money on this one.
4/10
The game uses panorama to view the entire scene around the player like the cameras for VR headsets. Unfortunately spinning your phone around to view gets tedious after a while(played the whole thing standing up). This would probably play better on something like google cardboard.
The music is good and creates a good backdrop for the still image around you.
Now is there a story? Nope, just some bland words on the screen for a poor horror show that culminates into
the stupidest and most predictable jump scare ever, you can see it coming from a mile away.
Another thing I took off points for was incoherent images, parts of the house were inconsistent in aesthetic. One part of the house in particular looked like it was taken in a modern home even though your supposed to be in a 19th century era mansion.
I'd say save your money on this one.
Wow. That was quick. Short game then too, huh?
I wish all games did this then....especially large games. The current "replace the entire app" system used by the vast majority of games is antiquated and a major pain in the ass.
Obviously I don't play any of the F2P games that use it
Downloading the entire app for an update is only done if you sync via iTunes, otherwise it just downloads the update parts and applies it to the already installed app.
Saucycarpdog
Member
Very short, took me maybe 40 minutes to complete. Didn't like it that some parts were artificially stretching the time as well. Like one part
while your exploring the house someone opens the front door and you have to hide in a closet. There's nothing to see in the closet your just stuck in there until the game decides to let you out after 2 minutes.
I wish all games did this then....especially large games. The current "replace the entire app" system used by the vast majority of games is antiquated and a major pain in the ass.
Obviously I don't play any of the F2P games that use it
This can only be used for small bugfixes, apple doesn't allow it for substantial changes.
And delta updates are now the norm, updating only what's needed. And iOS 9 can delete the apm and update it without losing data (IIRC).
More_Badass
Member
Well that's disappointing.
I checked out Artificial Defense. It's a bit slow, but has a lot of weapons to unlock. It's a mix of offense and tower defense. You have weapons you can fire, towers you can place, and also need to place resource towers to gather resources to place towers. There's an RTS element in capturing spots on the map to mine more resources
Game has a cool aesthetic too. Worth checking for free
I checked out Artificial Defense. It's a bit slow, but has a lot of weapons to unlock. It's a mix of offense and tower defense. You have weapons you can fire, towers you can place, and also need to place resource towers to gather resources to place towers. There's an RTS element in capturing spots on the map to mine more resources
Game has a cool aesthetic too. Worth checking for free
I haven't had that experience with direct downloads. Just yesterday I updated Lumino City and Dead Effect 2. Both failed even after creating a ton of space. There have been a few apps that appear to do just what needs to be updated, but the vast majority seem to require a download in the same range of the total app size even for a minor fix.
Actually, if you do a sync then you don't need that space. But I am too lazy to do iTunes syncs
If they're the norm, I must be incredibly unlucky with my game choices because I rarely see in-place updates.
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Snuck in a little more time with Zodiac. Really enjoying it so far. After that Prison Escape fix, I have had zero problems. I like that even though it's a 2D side scroller, there are -- at least in the Prison -- multiple levels that you still need to explore and interact with NPCs.
Combat is fun and strategic. And the artwork and music are top notch.
If you are a fan of JRPGs, I think you'll definitely want to check it out and I'm still at the beginning with just two party members and the depth with skills and better equipment yet to come.
More_Badass
Member
So my favorite release today is definitely Artificial Defense. I recommend checking it out if you're a fan of the genre
21 weapons, 21 towers! Plus there's the RTS element of sending units to capture spots on the map, like sensors to see cloaked enemies
It's free, and the only IAP is to unlock the full game
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/artificial-defense/id869780800
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_h0Oeg5Txo
21 weapons, 21 towers! Plus there's the RTS element of sending units to capture spots on the map, like sensors to see cloaked enemies
It's free, and the only IAP is to unlock the full game
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/artificial-defense/id869780800
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_h0Oeg5Txo
More_Badass
Member
Yeah, you can send units to capture special points on the map to increase resource production or activate defenses like the sensor.
Plus sending down towers and firing on enemies from above
But it's a horrible user experience. On top of that requires being online just to play the game.I wish all games did this then....especially large games. The current "replace the entire app" system used by the vast majority of games is antiquated and a major pain in the ass.
Obviously I don't play any of the F2P games that use it
It's a really horrible user experience all around.
More_Badass
Member
Well, a game could just require you to be online for an update, but not always online
I'm not sure what you are saying. Why is it a horrible user experience if a game updates automatically when you open it? Like MB said, you could just have to be online for the update to occur which is no different than having downloading it from the App Store.
All I was saying is that it would be nice if updates could be that quick.
Lots of console games start with messages saying "this game requires an update" and then downloads and installs prior to you playing.
Saucycarpdog
Member
So not a very exciting week. Next week though there are quite a few good games coming. 😃
More_Badass
Member
I'll stick by my Artificial Defense recommendation. It's pretty fun and it has that kind of style that just feels really polished, from the menu design to the aesthetic
Lost Horizon looks good too, a PC port and PnC game in the vein of adventure serials/Indiana Jones
https://appsto.re/us/ttpC5.i
Saucycarpdog
Member
I'm downloading it now, if you recommended it then I most likely will like it too.
If you like JRPGs, Zodiac is excellent. Gets better and better the more I play it as it opens up job systems, crafting, multiple difficulties for replay and satisfying strategic combat. Easily my favorite game of the week and one of the best RPGs I've played in a while on iOS.
-psygnosis-
Neo Member
I am not against F2P by default, it is always about how it is integrated and if there are actual pay walls in the design.
I play Summoners War: Sky Arena over a year now and they have some pretty aggressive F2P methods as in shove offers in the players face at a bunch of different times, but it never bothered me because the game is very generous and throws soft and hard currency at you so I never felt like I need to buy anything. So it actually feels like an offer and not like a necessity.
Of course I would like to see some improvements to the model and maybe that is something that we will see from that partnership (fingers crossed).
How did someone sign up with "my" name already, god damnit...
Also Wardwell House looks super interesting! I am already scared just looking at the pictures.
PittaGAF
Member
I'm REALLY REALLY surprised by the Base Command miniature game, free inside the Battlefront companion app.
It's really DAMN good....so good I can see FFG could *EASILY* make the boardgame with their XWing miniatures, cards and such.
It starts super easy (apparently level 1-8 are the TUTORIAL....and they will soon unlock 9-50!!!!).
Personally I can't go past level 7 now....besides those damn Tie Advanced, Boba Fett continues to wreck my shields....then the AT-AT do the rest.
I tweaked my deck and everything, but so far I improved a lot (down to just 3 enemies remains) but no win so far.
Can't wait to unlock Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader etc....
App is slick but could be easily improved....first thing it lacks it's the Star Wars music in background...graphic is very nice.
They can easily expand the game with new backdrops etc....
But just the miniatures alone and their powers are very very cool.
And again....it's damn difficult...you must plan really ahead and know your (24 cards) deck very well to have chances, especially when the Empire starts the real attack (level 5).
If you are a SW fan....check it out.
It's really DAMN good....so good I can see FFG could *EASILY* make the boardgame with their XWing miniatures, cards and such.
It starts super easy (apparently level 1-8 are the TUTORIAL....and they will soon unlock 9-50!!!!).
Personally I can't go past level 7 now....besides those damn Tie Advanced, Boba Fett continues to wreck my shields....then the AT-AT do the rest.
I tweaked my deck and everything, but so far I improved a lot (down to just 3 enemies remains) but no win so far.
Can't wait to unlock Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader etc....
App is slick but could be easily improved....first thing it lacks it's the Star Wars music in background...graphic is very nice.
They can easily expand the game with new backdrops etc....
But just the miniatures alone and their powers are very very cool.
And again....it's damn difficult...you must plan really ahead and know your (24 cards) deck very well to have chances, especially when the Empire starts the real attack (level 5).
If you are a SW fan....check it out.